Watching a tenant in a Portland flex space use their unit completely differently than I'd planned made me rethink my whole 'ideal layout' concept.

I mean, I had this whole vision for the 2,500 sq ft bay with offices up front and warehouse in back, but they turned the whole thing into a massive open workshop for building custom vans, and seeing it work so well made me ask, how often do we over-design spaces based on our own assumptions instead of just letting the market show us what it needs?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_ramirez813d ago

Our old landlord in Austin had a strict office/warehouse split for every unit. I saw three businesses leave over two years because that layout just didn't fit how they actually worked. Sometimes a tight plan can push good tenants away by not letting them adapt the space.

the_hugo2d ago

That point about a tight plan pushing tenants away really hits home, @riley_ramirez81. I see it a bit different though, because sometimes those rules are about building codes or insurance, not just a landlord being stubborn. The trick is the landlord should explain the "why" behind the split. If a business knows the reason, they can sometimes find a smart workaround that keeps everyone safe and happy, instead of just walking away.